.99 

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0?  CALIFORNIA 
DEPARTMNT  OF  HOUSEHOLD  ART 


ANTHROPOLOGICAL  PAPERS 


OF    THE 


American  Museum  of  Natural 
History. 


Vol.  I,  Part  VI. 


IROQUOIS    SILVERWORK 


BY 


M.  R.  HARRINGTON,  A.M. 


NEW  YORK  : 

Published  by  Order  of  the  Trustees, 
September,   1908. 


American   Museum   of   Natural   History. 

PUBLICATIONS  IN  ANTHROPOLOGY. 


The  results  of  research  conducted  by  the  Anthropological  staff  of  the  Museum, 
unless  otherwise  provided  for,  are  published  in  a  series  of  octavo  volumes  of  about 
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of  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  This  series  of  publication  aims  to 
give  the  results  of  field-work  conducted  by  the  above  department,  supplemented 
by  the  study  of  collections  in  the  Museum. 

The  following  are  on  sale  at  the  Museum  at  the  prices  stated: 

Vol.  I.  Part  I.  Technique  of  some  South  American  Feather-work.  By  Charles 
W.  Mead.  Pp.  1-18,  Plates  I-IV,  and  14  text  figures.  Jan 
uary,  1907.  Price,  $0.25. 

Part  II.  Some  Protective  Designs  of  the  Dakota.  By  Clark  Wissler. 
Pp.  19-54,  Plates  V-VII,  and  26  text  figures,  Febmary,  1907. 
Price,  $0.50. 

Part.  III.  Gros  Ventre  Myths  and  Tales.  By  A.  L.  Kroeber.  Pp.  55- 
139.  May,  1907.  Price,  $0.25. 

Part  IV.  Ethnology  of  the  Gros  Ventre.  By  A.  L.  Kroeber.  Pp.  141- 
282,  Plates  VHI-XIII,  and  44  text  figures.  April,  1908. 
Price,  $1.50. 

Part  V.  The  Hard  Palate  in  Normal  and  Feeble-minded  Individuals. 
By  Walter  Channing  and  Clark  Wissler.  Pp.  283-350, 
Plates  XIV-XXII,  8  text  figures,  and  19  tables.  August, 
1908.  Price,  $0.50. 

Part  VI.  Iroquois  Silverwork.  By  M.  R.  Harrington.  Pp.  351-370, 
Plates  XXIH-XXIX,  and  2  text  figures.  August,  1908. 
Pi-ice,  $0.50. 


ANTHROPOLOGICAL  PAPERS 


OF    THE 


American  Museum  of  Natural 
History. 


Vol.  I,  Part  VI. 


IROQUOIS    SILVERWORK: 


BY 


M.   R.   HARRINGTON,  A.M. 


NEW  YORK: 

Published  by  Order  of  the  Trustees. 
September,   1908. 


H3 


DECORATIVB 
ART 


ANTHROPOLOGICAL  PAPERS 

OF    THE 

AMERICAN  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

VOL.   I,     PART  VI. 


IROQUOIS  SILVERWORK. 

BY  M.  R.  HARRINGTON,  A.  M. 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATES. 

XXIII.  Brooches,  Rings,  and  Ear-Rings.     Fig.  1  (Museum  Xo.  50-8607),  diameter 

2.5  cm.;  Fig.  2  (50-6916  A);  Fig.  3  (50-6576);  Fig.  4  (50-6590);  Fig. 
5  (50-6900);  Fig.  6  (50-6717);  Fig.  7  (50-6582),  diameter  4.5cm.; 
Fig.  8  (50-6915);  Fig.  9  (50-6584);  Fig.  10  (50-6565);  Fig.  11  (50- 
6917  A);  Fig.  12  (50-6715);  Fig.  13  (50-6904),  diameter  5  cm.;  Fig. 
14  (50-6910);  Fig.  15  (50-6602);  Fig.  16  (50-6630  B);  Fig.  17  (50- 
6806);  Fig.  18  (50-6629  B),  length  4.5  cm.;  Fig.  19  (50-6628  A), 
length  3.5  cm.;  Fig.  20  (50-6908),  length  2.5  cm.;  Fig.  21  (50-6631 
A-B),  diameter  2  cm.;  Fig.  22  (50-6716),  length  3.7  cm.;  Fig.  23  (50- 
6633);  Fig.  24  (50-6632);  Fig.  25  (50-6613),  length  2.7  cm.;  Fig.  2G 
(50-6909);  Fig.  27  (50-6714),  diameter  2.5  cm. 

XXIV.  Head-Dress  and  Bracelets,   Museum  Xos.   50-6778  and  50-6634  A-B. 

Circumference  of  head-band,  27  cm.;  circumference  of  bracelet,  16 
cm. 

XXV.  Silversmith's  Tools.  Fig.  1  (Museum  Xo.  50-6805  A),  length  5.5  cm.; 
Fig.  2  (50-6805  B);  Fig.  3  (6708),  length  5  cm.;  Fig.  4  (6712);  Fig.  5 
(6712);  Fig.  6  (6711);  Fig.  7  (6710),  length  7.5  cm.;  Fig.  8  (6695); 
Fig.  9  (6696);  Fig.  10  (6693),  length  13  cm.;  Fig.  11  (6700);  Fig.  12 
(6702);  Fig.  13  (6701);  Fig.  14  (6694),  length  14  cm.;  Fig.  15  (6692), 
length  15  cm.;  Fig.  16  (6801),  length  3.5  cm.;  Fig.  17  (6709),  length  9> 
cm.;  Fig.  18  (6707),  length  11  cm.;  Fig.  19  (6697) ;  Fig.  20  (6698) ;  Fig. 
21  (6699) ;  Fig.  22  (6704),  length  9  cm. ;  Fig.  23  (6703),  length  13.5  cm. ; 
Fig.  24  (6705);  Fig.  25  (6706). 

XXVI.    Silversmith's  Tools.     Fig.  1  (Museum  50-6796),  length  29  cm.;    Fig.  2 
(50-6722),  length  36  cm.;    Fig.  3  (50-6720),  length  31  cm.;    Fig.  4 
(50-6691),  length  11.5  cm.;    Fig.  5  (50-6713  A-B),  length  11.5  cm.; 
Fig.  6  (50-6719),  length  14.5  cm. 
351 


4294 


352  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  I, 

XXVII.    Additional  Forms  from  the  Montgomery  County  Historical  Society  Col 
lection. 

XXVIII.    Hammering  out  a  Coin. 
XXIX.   Embossing. 


TEXT  FIGURES. 

PAGE 

1.  Method  of  fastening  Brooches  ........       356 

2.  Method  of  fastening  Ear-Rings          ...  .  .       357 


IROQUOIS  SILVERWORK. 

The  art  of  the  silversmith  among  the  Iroquois  seems  to  have  had  its 
birth  along  toward  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when,  according  to- 
Beauchamp, *  historical  records  show  that  silver  ornaments  of  Indian  make 
were  first  noticed  by  Europeans.  These  ornaments  had  apparently  dis 
placed  in  part  those  of  copper  and  brass,  which,  although  quite  different  in 
character,  had  been  popular  among  the  people.  The  brooches,  rings,  and 
bands  of  silver,  Beauchamp  continues,  remained  in  vogue  until  the  latter 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century,  when  they  gradually  gave  way  to  the  cheap 
jewelry  of  the  whites.  To-day  it  is  rare  to  see  native  ornaments  used  even 
in  the  Long  House  ceremonies  of  the  so-called  Pagan  Iroquois. 

Morgan  2  and  Beauchamp  3  devote  but  very  few  lines  to  the  manufacture 
of  silver  ornaments,  and  merely  mention  some  of  the  tools  used.  Knowing 
this,  I  have  always  been  on  the  lookout,  during  my  visits  among  the  Indians, 
for  a  surviving  Iroquois  silversmith;  but  it  was  not  until  January,  1907,  that 
my  search  was  successful.  At  that  time  I  was  engaged  in  collecting  ethno 
logical  material,  on  the  Six  Nations  Reserve  in  Ontario,  Canada,  for  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  Repeated  inquiries  for  silversmiths 
and  their  outfits  of  tools  led  at  last,  after  several  failures,  and  many  investi 
gations  of  false  reports,  to  the  discovery  of  an  ex-silversmith  in  the  person 
of  Chief  Levi  Joe  (an  Onondaga),  and  of  a  nearly  complete  outfit  of  tools, 
once  the  property  of  his  grandfather.  Chief  Joe  is  not  an  old  man ;  but  his 
vision  has  become  defective,  and  he  has  been  obliged  to  give  up  his  calling. 
After  several  interviews  I  succeeded  in  buying  the  box  of  tools  and  in  obtain 
ing  the  Indian  names  of  each  piece,  besides  observing  several  of  the  processes, 
and  taking  a  few  photographs.  Later  the  chief  explained  to  me  as  much  as 
occurred  to  him  concerning  the  details  of  silversmithing,  and  made  working 
models  of  several  articles  once  belonging  to  the  outfit,  but  now  lost.  As  all 
his  old  patterns  were  missing,  he  made  some  new  but  rather  poor  ones,  and 
at  my  request  prepared  for  me  two  unfinished  brooches  to  illustrate  stages 
in  the  process  of  manufacture.  Some  months  later  a  second  visit  was  made, 
and  more  specimens  and  information  were  secured. 

1  Beauchamp,  Metallic  Ornaments  of  the  New  York  Indians,  p.  10. 

2  Morgan,  League  of  the  Iroquois,  new  edition,  Vol.  II,  p.  50. 

3  Beauchamp,  Metallic  Ornaments  of  the  New  York  Indians,  p.  36. 

353 


354  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  I, 

Before  taking  up  in  detail  the  description  of  Chief  Joe's  outfit  and 
method  of  work,  I  will  endeavor  to  discuss  briefly  the  principal  classes  of 
native-made  silver  ornaments  still  found  among  the  Iroquois.  As  a  number 
of  writers,  including  Mrs.  Converse  l  and  Beauchamp,2  have  given  us  care 
ful  descriptions  of  their  many  varying  forms,  it  will  only  be  necessary  here 
to  set  forth  a  few  representative  types. 

Most  numerous  of  all  are  the  brooches  which  may  still  be  found  occasion 
ally  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  Those,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  figure,  are 
flat  silver  disks  of  different  sizes,  ranging  from  about  a  fourth  of  an  inch  to 
six  inches  in  diameter,  cut  into  many  artistic  forms,  and  often  engraved, 
stamped,  and  embossed  as  well.  Each  has  a  central  opening,  crossed  by  a 
tongue  (like  that  of  a  buckle)  pivoted  at  one  end,  which  serves  to  attach  it 
to  the  fabric.  Six  principal  patterns  may  be  recognized,  which  I  have 
called:  1.  Simple  disk;  2.  Ornate  disk;  3.  Star;  4.  Heart;  5.  Square;  and 
6.  Masonic. 

The  first  is  merely  a  simple,  very  narrow  circlet  of  silver,  usually  convex 
above  and  concave  beneath,  with  a  large  central  opening  (Plate  xxm,  Fig. 
1).  Sometimes  the  narrow  circlet  is  solid  instead  of  hollow,  in  which  case 
it  is  sometimes  decorated  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  2). 

The  ornate  disk  is  quite  distinct  from  this,  as  the  central  opening  is  as 
small  as  possible,  and  the  resulting  broad  surface  of  the  silver,  or  field,  is 
highly  decorated  with  engraving,  embossing,  and  openwork  (Plate  xxm, 
Figs.  7,  8,  9).  The  star  is  similar  to  the  ornate  disk  in  having  a  small  central 
opening;  but  in  this  case  the  silver  field  is  cut  into  rays  of  varying  number, 
forming  a  star-shaped  figure.  Each  ray  is  tipped  with  a  circular  boss,  which 
lends  a  pleasing  and  characteristic  effect  to  the  whole  (Plate  xxm,  Figs.  13, 
14).  The  heart-shaped  brooches  are  among  the  commonest  forms.  They 
generally  consist  of  two  overlapping  heart-shaped  figures  surmounted  by  a 
device  which  sometimes  resembles  a  crown,  and  sometimes  an  owl's  head. 
The  hearts  are  outlined  by  a  narrow  band  of  silver,  the  tongue  passing  across 
the  resulting  central  opening;  while  the  broader  surface  of  the  crown  affords 
a  field  for  engraving  and  openwork.  A  variant  of  this  pattern  represents 
a  single  heart  only,  with  or  without  the  characteristic  crown  or  owl's  head 
above  (Plate  xxm,  Figs.  3,  4,  5).  The  term  "square"  is  rather  a  misnomer 
for  the  fifth  type  of  brooch;  for  the  two  concentric  figures  which  make  the 
characteristic  form  are  squares  only  by  virtue  of  having  four  equidistant 
corners,  the  four  equal  sides  being  concave  instead  of  straight  (Plate  xxm, 
Fig.  10).  The  corners  even  are  so  blunt,  as  a  rule,  that  the  type  might  be 
called  "octagonal."  Like  the  heart-type,  the  squares  are  outlined  with 

1  Converse,  H.  M.,  The  Iroquois  Silver  Brooches  (54th  Report  New  York  State  Museum). 

2  Beauchamp,  Metallic  Ornaments  of  the  New  York  Indians,  pp.  74-94. 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silverwork.  355 

narrow  strips  of  silver  just  wide  enough  to  bear  a  little  engraving,  and  con 
sequently  they  have  a  broad  central  opening  across  which  the  tongue  passes 
from  corner  to  corner.  Single  squares  occur  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  11),  and  these 
like  the  majority  of  the  simple  disk-type,  are  sometimes  concave  beneath. 

The  Masonic  type  is  merely  the  familiar  square  and  compasses,  some 
times  conventionalized  and  ornamented  (like  the  specimen  shown  in  Plate 
xxm,  Fig.  15),  almost  beyond  recognition.  I  may  say  here  that  most  Indians 
do  not  recognize  the  significance  of  this  pattern,  but  use  it  simply  as  an  orna 
ment. 

Specimens  of  all  the  principal  types  of  brooches  are  figured  in  this  paper; 
but,  as  the  many  variations  and  aberrant  forms  are  carefully  discussed  in  the 
works  above  referred  to,  it  is  not  necessary  to  take  them  up  in  detail.  It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  the  variations  are  effected  by  the  different  forms  and 
sizes  of  the  apertures  and  notches  cut  into  the  metal,  by  bosses  raised  at 
various  places  (notably  at  the  ends  of  the  rays  of  the  star-form  and  around 
the  circumference  of  the  disks),  and  by  the  different  varieties  of  engraving. 
I  have  seen  dots,  straight  lines,  curved  lines,  fine  zigzags,  tiny  triangles,  and 
other  figures  in  many  combinations.  Life  forms  are  very  rare. 

Chief  Joe  had  names  for  a  number  of  the  patterns.  The  simple  disks 
he  called  o-ga'-ha,  which  signifies  "eye."  The  ornate-disk  and  star  types 
he  grouped  together  under  the  name  de-yo-den-hai'en-da',  interpreted  as 
"sunshine."  The  crowned  heart  brooches,  double  and  single,  were  simi 
larly  grouped  as  o-go''-ji-a,  meaning  "ornamental  head-dress  or  crown;" 
while  the  single  heart-form  was  known  as  a-we'-ya-'sa'  or  "heart."  The 
double-square  type  he  named  de-yo-an-wa-gis'-hon,  translated  as  "  double 
brooch;"  the  single-square  form  being  jo-an-wa-das'-ho11  (de-yo-an-wa-das- 
hon?)  or  "single  brooch."  When  shown  a  Masonic  brooch  of  pure  type, 
the  chief  told  me  he  knew  no  name  for  that  variety;  but  the  more  common 
conventionalized  Masonic  design  (the  kind  shown  in  Plate  xxm,  Fig.  15) 
he  readily  recognized  under  the  name  ga-ya"-saa,  "cross"  or  "crucifix," 
so  called,  he  said,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  it  usually  bears  from  two  to 
five  engraved  conventional  crosses.  This  type  originated  with  Christian 
Indians,  he  informed  me. 

The  only  trace  of  true  symbolism  was  found  when  the  chief  was  ques 
tioned  concerning  the  heart-type  of  brooches.  He  stated  that  the  inter 
twined  hearts  surmounted  by  a  crown  represent  the  Iroquois  nations  united 
in  friendship,  and  that  these  brooches  were  formerly  considered  a  sort  of 
badge  or  emblem  identifying  the  wearer,  man  or  woman,  as  an  Iroquois. 
Chief  John  A.  Gibson  told  me  practically  the  same  thing.  The  only  outside 
evidence  to  support  this  idea  lies  in  the  fact  that  brooches  of  the  crowned 


356  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  I, 

double-heart  variety  are  rarely,  so  far  as  I  know,  found  outside  of  the  Iro- 
quois  Six  Nations.  Mrs.  Converse,1  offers  interpretations  for  many  forms, 
and  I  refer  the  reader  to  her  pamphlet.  As  there  is  usually  a  great  deal  of 
variation  in  statements  by  Indians  concerning  symbolism,  more  data  should 
be  collected;  for,  notwithstanding  all  these  differences,  some  underlying  con 
cepts  may  be  discoverable. 

Brooches  were  employed  for  many  decorative  purposes,  as  the  ornamen 
tation  of  women's  dresses,  where  they  were  sometimes  used  in  great  profu 
sion,  and  for  decorating  the  ribbons,  head-bands,  and  sashes  used  by  both 
sexes.  I  have  seen  them  fastened  also  upon  the  wide  band  of  broadcloth 
used  to  wrap  about  the  infant  on  the  cradle-board.  It  will  be  noticed  that 
all  these  uses  require  attachment  to  some  fabric,  which  was  effected  as  fol 
lows,  —  a  portion  of  the  cloth  was  bunched  together  and  forced  up  through 
the  central  opening  of  the  brooch  far  enough  for  the  tongue  to  be  pushed 
through  it,  then,  when  the  fabric  was  pulled  flat  again,  the  ornament  was 
firmly  attached.  The  process  is  shown  in  Fig.  1. 


Fig.  1.     Method  pf  fastening  Brooches. 

Brooches  are  generally  called  en-yu"-ska'  in  Seneca,  and  den-ha-nls-tar 
or  a-da-ha-ms'-ta'  in  Onondaga.  Beauchamp  gives  ah-ten-ha-ne-sah  as 
an  Onondaga  name  for  them,  but  this  probably  is  a  variation  of  the  above. 
The  Cayugas  often  call  them  an-ya'-ska;  the  Oneida,  a'-nyu'-ska-llst;  and 
the  Mohawk,  an-yii"-' ska-re.  It  must  be  understood  that  in  all  these  lan 
guages  there  are  probably  several  words  that  can  be  applied  to  each  article. 

Next  in  point  of  numbers  to  the  brooches  are  the  ear-rings,  formerly 
widely  used  by  both  sexes,  but  now  usually  confined  to  a  few  women.  The 
men,  when  wearing  ear-rings  at  all,  now  generally  prefer  the  small,  plain 
gold  hoops  made  by  the  whites.  Ear-rings  of  native  manufacture  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes.  The  first  type  and  the  commonest  form  (Plate 
xxm,  Figs.  18,  19)  consists  of  a  drop,  or  body  to  the  flat  back  of  which  is 
soldered  the  hinged  wire  passing  through  the  ear,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  This 

1  Converse,  H.  M.,  The  Iroquois  Silver  Brooches  (54th  Report  New  York  State  Museum). 


1908.] 


Harrington,  Iroquois  Silver  work. 


357 


drop  may  be  a  small  hemisphere,  called  "chestnut"  by  the  Indians  (Plate 
xxm,  Fig.  19),  or  may  be  large,  flat,  and  decorated  with  openwork  and 
engraving  like  a  brooch.  Sometimes  it  is  cut  into  the  form  of  a  spread  eagle, 
hawk,  or  other  bird  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  16),  and  sometimes  has  a  setting  of 
colored  glass  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  IS).  Removable  pendants  often  hang  from 
these  drops  attached  to  the  ear-loop,  usually  pear-shaped,  but  occasionally 
of  other  forms.  Xow  and  then  they  are  also  set  with  colored  glass,  and 
sometimes  strings  of  hollow  silver  beads  are  used  as  pendants.  Another 
form  is  shown  in  Plate  xxm,  Fig.  20.  The  second  type  embraces  the  plain 
silver  hoops  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  21),  which  are  rare,  and  the  flattened  hoops 
or  crescents,  which  I  have  heard  called  "half-sun"  ear-rings.  Common 
words  for  ear-rings  are  a'-wus'-ha  in  Seneca,  ga'-was'-ha  in  Cayuga,  ka-wa'- 
sa  in  Onondaga,  ka-was'-ha  in  Oneida,  and  de-a-ga-wa'- 
sa-re  in  Mohawk.  This  last  word,  I  suspect,  means  a 
"pair  of  ear-rings,"  as  the  prefix  "  de-"  often  expresses 
duality  in  Iroquois  languages. 

Finger-rings  were  also  of  silver,  either  plain,  or  deco 
rated  with  hearts  or  other  devices  engraved  upon  a  part  of 
the  circlet  made  broader  for  the  purpose,  or  upon  a  sepa 
rate  piece  soldered  upon  the  band,  the  whole  having  a  seal- 
ring  effect  (Plate  xxm,  Figs.  23,  24,  25,  26).  In  Cayuga, 
rings  are  called  en-n'ia'-ha-shra';  by  the  Oneida,  ha-ni- 
snon-so-lok'-ta ;  and  by  the  Mohawk,  a-nis-nun/-sa-wi. 

Bracelets  and  armlets  were  broad  bands  of  silver, 
usually  quite  thin  and  pliable,  with  holes  in  the  end  for 
fastening  with  cords.  The  pair  in  the  Museum,  however, 
are  rather  thick  and  stiff,  like  the  Navajo  bracelets,  and 
consequently  need  no  holes  (Plate  xxiv).  They  are  also 
engraved,  while  the  usual  Iroquois  bracelet  is  fluted.  They  are  worn  with 
ceremonial  dress. 

Of  similar  character,  although  larger  and  more  ornate,  are  the  head 
bands  or  crowns  of  silver,  often  about  two  inches  wide,  which  frequently 
show  elaborate  and  tasteful  combinations  of  fluting,  engraving,  embossing, 
and  openwork.  These  are  now  very  rare,  but  are  still  occasionally  used  as 
part  of  the  ceremonial  head-dress,  as  shown  in  Plate  xxiv.  Morgan  l 
illustrates  globular  silver  beads  used  with  wampum  as  a  necklace,  and  I 
have  sometimes  heard  of  double  and  foliated  silver  crosses  made  by  the 
Indian  silversmiths,  and  used  as  ornaments.  Chief  Joe,  without  any  sug 
gestion  on  my  part,  made  for  me  a  tin  pattern  for  a  double  cross  to  go  with 


Fig.  2.  Method 
of  fastening  Ear- 
Rings. 


Morgan,  The  League  of  the  Iroquois,  new  edition,  Vol.  I,  p.  254. 


358  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  I, 

the  rest  of  his  outfit  of  tools.  There  is  also  a  variety  of  silver  ornament 
which  I  have  never  seen  described,  the  silver  nose-ring.  The  only  speci 
mens  of  this  that  I  have  seen  were  in  the  possession  of  King  Tandy  Jimerson, 
a  Seneca  of  the  Alleghany  Reservation  in  western  New  York.  There  were 
two,  I  believe,  of  crescent-shape,  the  tips  of  the  crescent  approaching  each 
other  in  such  a  way  that  the  ornament  could  be  pinched  fast  upon  the  sep 
tum  of  the  nose.  At  least  one  of  the  specimens  seemed  old,  but  I  doubt  if 
the  style  was  widely  distributed. 

We  will  now  turn  to  a  description  of  the  tools  with  which  these  things 
were  made,  so  far  as  they  are  represented  by  the  contents  of  the  battered  tin 
box  which  Chief  Joe  found  for  me  in  the  loft  of  his  little  cabin  on  the  banks 
of  the  Grand  River.  The  Indian  names  here  given  for  the  tools,  as  men 
tioned  before,  are  probably  not  the  only  ones  that  could  be  applied  to  them, 
and  it  is  possible  that  errors  have  crept  in  through  imperfect  interpretation. 
It  is  unfortunate  that  time  would  not  permit  my  working  out  the  literal 
meaning  of  the  names  themselves.  The  outfit  as  a  whole  is  called  E-wis- 
ta-no-wen-tsen-mV'-ta',  and  consisted  of  the  following:  — 

Anvil,  De-ye-da-gwen-den-da"-kwa'  (Plate  xxvi,  Fig.  4).  This  is  natu 
rally  one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  the  outfit.  It  is  a  rectangular 
block  of  cast-iron,  four  inches  and  a  half  long,  two  inches  wide  on  the  top 
where  the  hammering  was  done,  and  three  inches  high.  A  perforation  and 
some  figures  on  the  broadest  sides  seem  to  show  that  it  was  evidently  made 
by  the  whites  for  use  as  a  scale-weight;  but  the  battered  top,  scarred  with 
the  marks  of  the  silversmith's  chisel,  tells  the  story  of  its  Indian  use. 

Hammers,  Ga-jI'-kwa  (Museum  Nos.  50-6692,  50-6796).  A  large 
hammer,  used  to  flatten  out  the  silver  to  proper  thickness,  is  shown  in  Plate 
xxvi,  Fig.  1 .  Another  specimen,  a  small  one,  is  for  fine  cutting  and  stamp 
ing.  It  consists  of  a  rude  head  of  iron  attached  to  a  thin  wooden  handle, 
the  whole  being  but  little  over  six  inches  in  length.  This  is  figured  in  Plate 
xxv,  Fig.  15. 

File,  Ha-de-gen-tsa'-me  (Museum  No.  50-6694).  This  is  an  ordinary 
three-cornered  file  bought  at  some  store.  The  only  interest  attaching  to  it 
is  in  the  fact  that  the  end  is  worked  down  to  a  triangular  point,  which 
would  do  excellent  service  as  a  drill  or  reamer  for  perforating  thin  silver 
(Plate  xxv,  Fig.  14). 

Pincers,  Do-was-ji-e-ta  (Museum  No.  50-6693).  The  pincers  or  pliers, 
rather  rude  yet  serviceable,  are  of  iron,  made  apparently  by  some  county 
blacksmith.  The  rounded  jaws  were  very  useful  in  bending  finger-rings 
and  ear-ring  loops  (Plate  xxv,  Fig.  10). 

Chisels  for  curves,  E-iak'-ta'  (Museum  Nos.  50-6698,  50-6699).  At 
first  there  were  in  the  collection  only  two  chisels  for  cutting  along  curved  lines; 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  SUverwork.  359 

"but  two  more  were  afterwards  found.  The  first  two  are  made  of  old  jack- 
knife  blades  (Plate  xxv,  Figs.  20,  21).  The  truncated  end  of  the  larger  one 
is  filed  to  an  edge  like  that  of  a  gouge,  in  the  form  of  a  curve.  The  point  of 
the  second  is  very  narrow,  but  is  straight,  the  curve  being  produced  by  a 
.succession  of  short  cuts  which  were  afterwards  joined,  and  the  resulting 
ragged  edge  filed  smooth.  Of  the  second  pair  found,  one  is  a  store-bought 
gouge,  while  the  other  is  made  of  an  old  carving-fork  handle. 

Chisels  for  straight  cuts,  De-e-iak'-ta'  (Museum  Xos.  50-6695-6697). 
There  are  in  the  collection,  three  chisels  for  cutting  along  straight  lines, 
the  most  important  of  which  is  also  made  from  an  old  jack-knife  blade, 
whose  battered  base  tells  of  long  use.  Its  edge  is  five-sixteenths  of  an  inch 
wide.  \Yith  a  longer  edge  (three-fourths  of  an  inch)  is  another  chisel,  origi 
nally  a  cutter  for  a  blacksmith's  anvil.  The  third  specimen  (a  small  one, 
with  an  edge  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch)  was  actually  made  for  a  cold- 
chisel;  but  the  Indian  silversmith  has  purposely  dulled,  even  squared,  its 
edge,  for  use  in  fluting  bracelets,  head-bands,  etc.  (Plate  xxv,  Figs.  8,  9, 
19). 

Awls,  E-hak-ta"-so-a  (Museum  Xos.  50-6703-6706.  Three  true  awls 
and  an  ear-piercing  implement  were  classed  together  under  this  name  by 
Chief  Joe.  The  largest  is  part  of  an  old  knife-blade  filed  down  to  the  form 
of  an  awl,  whose  cross-section  would  be  almost  exactly  square.  Although 
the  blade  is  hardly  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  the  hardwood  handle  is 
fully  four  inches  and  a  half  long,  and  nearly  three  fourths  of  an  inch  thick. 
The  second  awl  is  similar  in  section,  but  is  made  of  a  broken  drill-blade,  and 
set  in  a  smaller  handle;  while  the  third  is  a  large  broken  needle  similarly 
mounted,  whose  end  has  been  sharpened  by  filing  to  an  angular  point 
(Plate  xxv,  Figs.  23,  24,  25).  The  ear-piercing  awl  is  an  ordinary  needle 
mounted  in  a  wooden  handle  like  the  rest  (Plate  xxv,  Fig.  22). 

Gravers,  E-ia-na'-da'-kwa'  (Museum  Xos.  50-6700-6702).  There  are 
three  gravers,  all  similarly  mounted  in  crude  home-made  wooden  handles. 
The  largest  is  more  like  a  chisel,  having  its  edge  bevelled  from  one  side  only, 
but  seems  nevertheless  to  be  made  of  an  old  knife-blade.  The  other  two 
have  the  bevel  from  both  sides,  like  a  drill;  but  the  use  of  all  three  is  similar, 
according  to  their  former  owner  (Plate  xxv,  Figs.  11,  12,  13). 

Die-plates  and  stamps,  E-ji-ni-u-gun-nia-ta'  (Museum  Xos.  50-6805  A- 
B).  The  die-plate,  used  mainly  for  embossing,  is  a  little  block  of  iron  about 
two  inches  long  by  an  inch  wide  and  a  lirtle  less  than  a  fourth  of  an  inch 
thick.  On  its  top  surface  are  four  hemispherical  concavities  of  varying 
size,  which  served  as  dies.  The  largest,  for  working  ear-drops,  three-eighths 
of  an  inch  across ;  and  from  this  the  dies  for  embossing  range  down  to  less 
than  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  edge  of  the  plate  is  roughly 


360  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  Ir 

bevelled.  For  each  die  there  is  an  appropriate  stamp  or  punch  whose  con 
vex  end  fits  into  the  concavity.  Litde  can  be  said  of  these  punches,  except 
that  they  show  evidences  of  long  use,  and,  like  the  die-plate,  seem  to  have 
been  made  especially  for  this  purpose  by  some  blacksmith,  or  perhaps  some 
Indian  with  a  smattering  of  iron-working  knowledge  (Plate  xxv,  Figs.  3,  4, 
5,  6,  7).  There  is  also  a  punch  or  stamp,  the  end  of  which  has  been  filed 
into  a  pear-shape  to  form  the  pendant  cone  often  used  with  ear-rings;  but 
the  die  belonging  to  it  is  missing  from  the  set  (Plate  xxv,  Fig.  17).  For 
making  hollow  simple-disk  brooches  is  the  lead  die-plate  (Plate  xxv,  Fig.  1) 
secured  on  the  second  trip.  This  bears  a  smooth  circular  groove  the  size  of 
the  future  brooch,  into  which  the  thin  metal  is  pressed  with  the  aid  of  the 
punch  (Plate  xxv,  Fig.  2).  This  outfit  bears  the  special  name  O-ga-he' 
gwa'-e"-san-nia-ta' . 

Cutter,  O-ga-he-gwa'-e-yak'-tha  (Museum  Xo.  50-6801).  This  is  a 
piece  of  iron  bent  into  pipe-form  and  the  edge  of  one  end  sharpened  all 
around.  It  is  made  for  cutting  out  disks  of  silver  for  brooches  (Plate  xxv, 
Fig.  16). 

Spreader,  De-ie-da-gwai-da'-kwa'  (Museum  No.  50-6707).  This  is  a 
chisel-like  implement  used  especially  to  spread  the  split  in  the  wire  to  make 
the  hinge  in  the  loops  of  ear-rings.  If  it  were  not  for  its  straight  chisel -like 
lines  and  home-made  handle,  one  might  take  it  for  a  screw-driver  (Plate 
xxv,  Fig.  18). 

Lamp,  E-jis'-to-da-kwa'  (Museum  Xo.  50-6 7"23  A-B).  This  is  merely 
an  old  rectangular  sardine-can  with  lid  removed  and  edges  rounded.  The 
wick  is  a  twisted  bit  of  rag,  which  when  in  use  protrudes  above  the  edge 
at  one  corner.  Almost  any  inflammable  oil  or  grease  seems  to  have  been, 
used.  The  wick  of  the  present  specimen  shows  traces  of  having  been  used 
with  sperm-oil,  which  of  course  is  modern  (Plate  xxvi,  Fig.  5). 

Patterns,  De-yon-de'-ni-en-dens'-ta'-kwa'  (Museum  Xos.  50-6714,  6716). 
All  the  old  patterns  belonging  to  this  collection  are  unfortunately  lost;  but 
Chief  Joe  made  two  new  objects  out  of  tin;  one  a  crude  representation  of 
the  star  brooch,  the  other  a  very  fair  double  cross  (Plate  xxm,  Figs.  22,  27). 
Mrs.  Converse,  in  her  "Iroquois  Silver  Brooches,"  mentions  the  fact  that 
one  silversmith  had  a  collection  of  patterns  made  from  the  zinc  back  of  an 
old  washboard. 

Box,  Ga-hun-sa  (Museum  Xo.  50-6690).  This  little  tool-chest,  resem 
bling  a  trunk  in  form,  is  made  of  tin,  and  is  provided  with  a  handle  and 
hasp.  It  is  evidently  of  white  man's  make.  The  dimensions  are  eight 
inches  and  a  half  by  five  inches  and  a  half  by  four  inches  and  a  half.  All 
the  smaller  tools,  patterns,  etc.,  were  kept  in  this. 

Moulds,  E-ji-sta'-ha-kwa'    (Museum   Xos.   50-6719-6721).     There   are 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silverwork.  361 

three  moulds  in  the  collection,  one  of  which,  the  smallest,  has  been  used. 
The  others  are  merely  models.  The  term  "furnace"  might  well  be  applied  to 
them  also,  for  they  are  used  for  both  melting  and  casting.  The  old  speci 
men  is  made  of  a  rather  irregular  block  of  hardwood  some  five  inches  square 
and  three  inches  and  a  half  thick.  In  one  of  its  broad  faces  is  cut  a  rectangu 
lar  hole  with  converging  sides  about  three  inches  wide  and  a  little  less  than 
an  inch  deep,  leaving  a  flat  area  in  the  middle.  In  the  centre  of  this  the 
mould  proper  was  neatly  cut,  about  an  inch  and  a  half  long  by  half  an  inch 
wide  and  a  fourth  of  an  inch  deep.  Into  this  melted  silver  flows.  The 
whole  specimen  shows  the  effect  of  long  use,  being  heavily  weathered  and 
charred.  The  new  moulds  are  larger  and  not  so  deep,  the  larger  casting 
an  ingot  ten  inches  long  by  an  inch  wide,  the  smaller  about  seven  inches 
long  (Plate  xxvi,  Figs.  3,  6). 

Blowpipe,  Un-wen-da'-sta'  (Museum  Xo.  50-6722).  This  is  a  model, 
and  is  made  of  a  hollow  sumach-stick  some  fourteen  inches  long  and  an  inch 
and  a  fourth  thick,  with  one  end  cut  to  form  a  rude  mouthpiece,  but  without 
a  nozzle  (Plate  xxvi,  Fig.  2). 

Poker,  Te-ye-ji-sta-wen-ye'-da'-kwa'  (Museum  Xo.  50-6723).  This  is 
a  wire  at  the  end  of,  and  inserted  into,  a  wooden  handle.  It  was  used  for 
raking  up  the  coals  on  the  mould-furnace  above  described. 

Chief  Joe  mentioned  a  number  of  articles  as  being  missing  from  the 
collection,  of  which  the  most  important  are  the  patterns,  of  which  he  fur 
nished  only  two,  both  models,  and  poor  at  that.  There  should  be  patterns 
for  every  type  of  brooch  and  for  the  different  parts  of  finger-rings  and 
ear-rings.  There  are  also  missing  the  die-plate  belonging  with  the  stamp 
used  for  making  pear-shaped  ear-pendants,  and  probably  other  articles. 

For  the  sake  of  comparison  and  to  fill  up  these  gaps,  if  possible,  it  was 
thought  best  to  examine  another  Iroquois  silversmith's  outfit.  The  only 
other  one1  known  to  the  writer  is  in  the  collection  of  the  Montgomery  County 
(Xew  York)  Historical  Society,  who  kindly  loaned  the  set  to  the  Museum 
for  study.  This  outfit,  also  of  Onondaga  origin,  is  very  rich  in  small  tools, 
and  contains  besides  a  number  of  old  patterns.  Glancing  over  the  collec 
tion,  one  is  struck  at  once  with  the  fact  that  most  of  the  cutting-tools  are 
made  of  old  files,  in  contrast  to  those  bought  of  Chief  Joe,  which  were  mainly 
made  of  old  knife-blades.  The  only  gravers  are  files  sharpened  down  at 
one  end  to  a  narrow  chisel-like  blade.  Awls  are  represented  by  one  speci 
men  only.  Still  the  general  character  of  both  collections  is  very  similar. 
The  die-plates  are  of  lead,  with  holes  for  both  round  and  pear-shaped  stamps, 


1  Since  writing  the  above,  I  collected  a  similar  outfit  from  the  Oneidas,  which  is  now  in 
the  E.  T.  Tefft  Collection  in  New  York. 


362  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  Ir 

of  different  sizes  (Plate  xxvn,  Fig.  11).  It  will  be  remembered  that  Chief 
Joe's  plate  to  fit  the  pear-shaped  stamp  was  missing.  These  stamps  differ 
from  those  of  Chief  Joe  in  having  provision  for  stamping  out  the  halves  of 
the  pendants  and  the  loops,  for  attaching  them  in  the  same  operation,  instead 
of  making  the  loop  of  wire  and  soldering  it  on  afterward  as  he  would  have 
done.  All  the  die-plate  holes  have  been  made  by  hammering  the  stamps- 
into  the  soft  lead.  Two  pairs  of  pincers  are  of  the  ordinary  commercial 
variety,  although  the  jaws  of  one  (Plate  xxvn,  Fig.  12)  have  been  filed 
small  and  round  for  convenience  in  bending.  But  the  third  (Plate  xxvn, 
Fig.  7)  has  been  very  ingeniously  made  of  heavy  wire,  the  natural  spring  of 
which  holds  the  jaws  firmly  together.  There  are  also  two  stamps  for  mak 
ing  tiny  decorative  circles  on  the  faces  of  silver  ornaments  (Plate  xxvn, 
Fig.  2),  an  implement  also  missing  at  first  from  Chief  Joe's  outfit,  although 
obtained  on  a  second  visit.  To  make  these,  file-fragments  have  been  worked 
down  to  a  round  point,  which  is  truncated,  and  drilled  out  so  as  to  produce 
the  required  circle  when  struck  against  the  face  of  the  silver.  Another 
similar  implement  has  simply  a  small  rounded  point  for  making  the  dots 
so  often  seen  in  the  decorations  on  Iroquois  silverwork. 

Another  unusual  article  is  part  of  an  old  file  with  the  end  cut  into  a  sym 
metrical  crown-shaped  stamp,  the  imprints  of  which  could  be  combined  in 
attractive  patterns  on  the  larger  silver  ornaments  (Plate  xxvn,  Fig.  1).  Still 
another  implement  (Plate  xxvn,  Fig.  4),  resembling  a  curved  chisel  with 
purposely  blunted  and  rounded  edges,  seems  to  have  been  used  for  render 
ing  convex  the  narrow  band  of  the  single-disk  brooch  and  for  similar  pur 
poses.  One  of  this  kind  was  later  obtained  from  Chief  Joe  (Plate  xxv,  Fig, 
2),  together  with  its  die.  The  blowpipe  belonging  to  this  set  is  the  regula 
tion  form,  of  iron,  and  is  evidently  of  white  man's  make.  There  are  quite 
a  number  of  broken  implements  which  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  hard 
and  brittle  quality  of  the  steel  in  the  files  which  furnished  the  material  of 
which  so  many  of  the  tools  were  made. 

Several  implements  occur  in  the  Historical  Society's  collection  whose 
use  is  a  puzzle  to  me.  One  is  a  very  old  piece  of  wood  in  the  form  of  a  thick 
paddle.  There  are  also  two  stamps  made  of  old  files,  with  triangular 
stamping-faces  which  resemble  in  a  certain  way  the  rounded  one  used  for 
embossing  and  making  hollow  ear-pendants  (Plate  xxvn,  Fig.  3);  but  I 
have  never  seen  an  ornament  made  with  this  form  of  stamp,  nor  is  there  a 
die-plate  to  fit  them  in  the  collection. 

There  are  five  patterns,  —  three  of  the  ornate-disk  type,  one  of  the 
masonic,  and  one  of  the  typical  double-heart  form.  (Plate  xxvn,  Figs.  13- 
17).  The  last  is  apparently  a  silver  brooch  used  as  a  pattern  on  account  of 
a  crack,  which  put  an  end  to  its  value  as  an  ornament.  The  others  are 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silverwork.  363 

made  of  zinc,  especially  for  patterns,  and  show  careful  workmanship.  In 
appearance  they  differ  from  a  brooch  in  having  no  tongue  and  in  the  com 
parative  roughness  of  some  of  them.  Both  curved  (Plate  xxvu,  Figs.  5,  6) 
and  straight  chisels  are  especially  well  represented  in  the  Society's  collection. 
Besides  larger  tools  already  mentioned,  there  are  many  odds  and  ends  which 
the  Museum's  outfit  lacks,  such  as  specimens  showing  the  making  of  hollow 
beads,  etc.,  with  the  die-plate  and  stamp  (Plate  xxvu,  Fig.  9),  a  bit  of  colored 
glass  for  setting  in  an  ear-ornament  (Plate  xxvu,  Fig.  8),  some  rosin  for 
soldering,  etc. 

The  description  of  the  manufacture  of  silver  ornaments  presented  here 
was  derived  from  actual  observation  of  some  processes,  and  from  descrip 
tions  of  others  furnished  by  the  chief  himself.  It  is  not  claimed  that  these 
are  the  only  methods  used  by  Iroquois  silversmiths;  but  Chief  Joe  assures- 
me  that  they  were  commonly  employed  by  him  and  by  his  grandfather 
before  him. 

Brooches  were  usually  made  out  of  coins.  A  coin  of  proper  size  having 
been  secured  (in  this  case  a  Canadian  dime),  the  chief  laid  it  upon  the  anvil 
and  carefully  beat  it  with  a  heavy  hammer  (in  this  instance  a  common  claw 
hammer,  because  the  original  was  mislaid)  until  its  diameter  was  increased 
nearly  an  inch  and  its  thickness  reduced  to  little  more  than  that  desired  for 
the  finished  brooch.  During  the  process,  he  took  care  to  keep  the  pounding 
evenly  distributed  and  the  blank  of  uniform  thickness.  The  metal  was 
pounded  cold,  without  even  annealing.  To  illustrate  this  process,  I  secured 
a  coin  pounded  out  to  the  proper  thickness  (Plate  xxm,  Fig.  6)  for  a  brooch, 
and  two  pieces  of  a  silver  spoon  thinned  out  by  hammering,  to  be  cut  into 
wires  for  brooch-tongues  and  ear-ring  loops.  The  pounding  finished,  the 
next  task  was  to  smooth  the  face  of  the  blank  with  a  file,  and  lay  it  off  along 
the  lines  of  the  future  brooch.  Chief  Joe  had  planned  for  a  star  brooch 
in  this  instance,  and  to  this  end  had  made  a  tin  pattern  (Plate  xxiu,  Fig.  27)> 
of  approximately  the  shape  and  size  that  he  wished  for  the  completed  orna 
ment.  "We  always  cut  patterns  of  tin  or  something  cheap,"  he  said,  "for 
all  the  different  kinds  of  brooches  and  crosses  we  want  to  make."  Laying 
this  pattern  where  he  could  see  it,  he  perforated  the  centre  of  tha  blank 
with  one  of  the  awls.  Then  using  the  pincers  as  dividers,  holding  their 
jaws  apart  with  one  of  the  chisels,  he  laid  off  a  circle  to  mark  out  the  central 
opening  of  the  brooch,  the  tip  of  the  pincers  making  distinct  scratches. 
The  coin  before  mentioned,  in  the  Museum  collection,  has  a  circle  laid  off 
by  this  means.  The  points  about  the  periphery,  where  the  rays  of  the  star 
were  to  terminate  in  bosses,  were  then  marked  out  and  the  arms  themselves 
indicated.  When  a  good  pattern  was  available,  the  procedure  was  some 
what  different.  Instead  of  laboriously  drawing  circles  with  pincers,  and 


364  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.      [Vol.  I, 

outlining  other  features  freehand,  the  pattern  was  laid  directly  upon  the 
blank,  and  its  outline  followed  and  marked  into  the  silver  with  an  awl  or 
other  pointed  instrument.  The  next  process  was  to  make  the  bcsses.  This 
was  done  by  laying  the  edge  of  the  blank  over  the  smallest  hole  on  the  die- 
plate,  and  forcing  the  metal  into  it  with  the  appropriate  stamp  driven  home 
by  a  sharp  blow  of  the  hammer.  (Plates  xxvm  and  xxix).  This  made 
neat  and  uniform  bosses.  The  lines  made  in  laying  out  the  brooch  were 
then  followed  with  curved  and  straight  chisels,  and  the  surplus  metal  cut 
away,  leaving  the  star  brooch  nearly  completed.  During  the  whole  cutting- 
process,  the  blank  lay  upon  the  anvil.  The  next  step  was  to  smooth  and 
trim  the  edges  with  a  file,  then  to  decorate  the  surface  of  the  brooch.  The 
second  unfinished  brooch  in  the  collection  illustrates  this  stage  (Plate  xxni, 
Fig.  12).  The  so-called  engraving  was  done  more  by  stamping  than  by 
cutting,  although  no  regular  form  of  stamp  was  used.  The  straight  chisel, 
lightly  tapped,  made  a  fairly  long  straight  line.  Round  and  triangular  dots 
were  formed  by  implements  whose  points  had  been  filed  into  shape  for  the 
purpose.  Curved  lines  and  ovals  were  made  by  combining  the  imprints  of 
curved-edge  chisels;  while  short  straight  lines  were  the  imprints  of  the 
chisel-like  gravers.  Two  or  more  such  graver-strokes  made  crosses.  The 
most  important  use  of  the  gravers,  however,  lay  in  making  the  zigzag  lines, 
frequently  of  extreme  delicacy  and  fineness,  which  form  some  of  the  most 
striking  and  artistic  patterns  found  on  the  Iroquois  ornaments.  In  this  case 
the  graver  is  not  struck  with  the  hammer,  but  is  pressed  firmly  against  the 
silver,  and  pushed  forward  with  a  strutting  motion;  the  hand  holding  the 
graver  moving  from  side  to  side  the  while.  It  is  remarkable  to  note  the 
skill  with  which  this  instrument  is  guided.  As  might  be  expected,  the  small 
zigzags  are  produced  with  a  fine  graver,  the  larger  with  a  graver  of  broader 
edge. 

When  the  brooch  had  been  engraved,  the  next  step  was  to  perforate 
(with  an  awl)  a  small  hole  near  the  edge  of  the  central  opening  to  receive 
the  hinge-end  of  the  tongue.  To  make  the  tongue,  a  slender  strip  or  wire 
was  cut  with  the  straight  chisel  from  a  larger  piece  of  silver,  as  is  shown  by 
the  hammered  spoon-handle  mentioned  before,  and  this  was  filed  and  bent 
into  proper  shape,  and  put  into  place.  The  brooch  was  then  completed. 

As  before  intimated,  the  convex  hollow  circlet  of  the  simple-disk  brooch 
was  made  by  driving  the  edge  of  a  flat  disk  of  silver  into  the  circular  groove 
of  the  specially  made  die-plate  by  repeated  strokes  of  a  suitable  punch  (Plate 
xxv,  Figs.  1,  2),  thus  forming  an  embossed  circle.  The  metal  within  the 
circle  was  then  cut  out  and  the  edges  trimmed,  when  the  ornament  needed 
only  polishing  and  a  tongue  to  be  complete.  An  unfinished  brooch  of  this 
kind  is  shown  in  Plate  xxm,  Fig.  17. 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silverwork.  365 

Making  ear-ornaments  was  more  difficult,  because  these  often  required 
hollow  drops  and  pendants,  and  sometimes  settings  of  colored  glass,  as  well 
as  a  hinged  wire  loop  to  go  through  the  ear.  Of  course,  in  the  plain  hoop 
ear-rings  these  difficulties  did  not  appear.  The  silver  was  hammered  out, 
marked  off,  and  cut  in  approximately  the  same  way  as  for  brooches.  For 
the  hemispherical  or  chestnut  ear-drops  (the  most  common  shape),  two 
circular  pieces  of  silver  were  cut  out,  one  larger  than  the  other.  The  latter 
was  laid  over  the  largest  hole  in  the  die-plate,  and  driven  in  with  the  proper 
punch  and  a  hammer  until  it  formed  a  hollow  hemisphere.  ^Yhen  the 
edge  had  been  filed,  the  opening  was  closed  with  the  flat  circular  disk,  and 
the  two  soldered  together.  This  was  effected  by  placing  between  them  a 
few  bits  of  lead,  and  holding  them  over  the  flame  of  the  lamp  by  means  of 
the  pincers,  turning  them  as  the  lead  melted.  The  pear-shaped  pendants 
were  also  hollow,  and  prepared  in  two  parts  (equal  this  time),  and  pressed 
into  form  in  a  pear-shaped  die  (missing  from  our  set)  with  the  pear-shaped 
stamp.  Most  of  the  hollow  ear-drops  exhibit  decorative  engraved  patterns, 
while  the  pendants  show  designs  formed  by  grooves  in  the  metal.  When 
I  asked  Chief  Joe  how  these  were  made,  his  answer,  as  nearly  as  I  could 
understand  it,  was  to  the  effect  that  the  decoration  on  the  drops  was  made 
with  a  file  and  small  punch  after  the  pressing  was  done,  but  that,  with  regard 
to  the  pendants,  the  dies  and  stamps  were  themselves  engraved  with  the 
patterns  beforehand,  which  were  thus  consequently  communicated  to  the 
silver.  The  part  concerning  the  ear-drops  is  evidently  true;  but,  on  think 
ing  it  over,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion,  that  as  all  the  dies  and  stamps 
I  have  seen  have  been  plain,  and  all  the  hollow  ear-pendants  decorated, 
he  must  have  meant  that  the  patterns  were  stamped  into  the  silver  before  the 
metal  was  pressed  into  form.  The  setting  of  ear-drops  and  pendants  with 
pieces  of  colored  glass  was  effected  by  first  cutting  a  long  flat  strip  of  silver 
with  a  series  of  equal  projecting  points  along  one  side;  then  this  was  bent 
into  the  form  of  the  setting,  and  soldered  fast,  on  edge,  upon  the  face  of  the 
ear-drop;  the  points,  of  course,  being  upward.  "When  the  glass  had  been 
inserted,  the  points  were  bent  down,  holding  it  firmly.  Sometimes  an 
embossed  sheet  of  silver,  cut  to  proper  form,  was  placed  beneath  the  glass, 
so  that  the  patterns  would  show  through.  The  glass  was  shaped  with  a  file. 
The  wires  intended  to  pass  through  the  ear-lobes  were,  like  the  tongues  of 
the  brooches,  first  cut  with  a  straight  chisel  from  a  large  piece  of  hammered 
silver;  and  there  were  four  pieces  in  all,  two  for  each  ear.  The  ends  of 
two  of  these  short  wires  were  split  with  the  straight  chisel,  and  spread  with 
the  spreader  before  mentioned.  The  ends  of  the  other  two  were  then  filed 
into  tongues,  fitted  into  the  splits,  and  riveted  fast,  forming  hinges.  There 
were  now  two  wires,  which  were  filed  round  and  smooth,  then  bent  carefully 


366  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  Historu.       [Vol.  I, 

and  slowly  with  the  aid  of  the  pincers  into  a  C-shape,  one  end  of  which  was 
soldered  upon  the  lower  edge  of  the  back  of  the  ear-drop,  the  other  fitted 
into  a  little  hole  or  socket  near  the  upper  edge,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  This 
held  the  ornament  secure  when  in  use. 

Head-bands  and  armlets  required  another  process,  casting,  which  was 
accomplished  in  a  simple  and,  to  my  mind,  ingenious  way  by  means  of  the 
hardwood  moulds  previously  described.  When  in  use,  the  trough  of  the 
mould  was  filled  with  glowing  hardwood  coals  upon  which  were  distributed 
bits  of  silver  in  sufficient  quantity  to  fill  the  mould  when  melted.  Then  the 
wooden  blowpipe  came  into  play;  and  the  coals,  by  steady  blowing,  glowed 
with  so  much  heat  that  the  silver  melted,  and  ran  down  into  the  mould  below. 
Sometimes,  in  order  to  get  the  metal  into  such  shape  that  it  would  be  evenly 
distributed,  it  was  necessary  to  cast  a  number  of  small  bars  in  the  small 
mould,  and  then  cut  them  up  to  be  laid  upon  the  coals  of  one  of  the  large 
ones.  The  bar,  once  cast,  was  carefully  hammered  thin,  growing  larger 
and  broader  with  every  stroke  until  the  proper  dimensions  were  reached.  It 
was  then  filed  smooth,  laid  off,  fluted,  cut,  and  engraved  in  much  the  same 
manner  as  a  brooch.  Frequently  the  head-bands  show  the  art  of  the  Iro- 
quois  silversmith  at  its  best.  Everything  is  dainty,  symmetrical,  artistically 
planned,  practically  perfect.  The  fluting  was  done  with  a  wide  chisel  whose 
edge  had  been  purposely  blunted  and  rounded. 

Chief  Joe  did  not  mention  finger-  rings;  but  these  were  apparently  often 
made  in  two  pieces,  which  we  may  call  the  band  and  the  seal.  These  were 
soldered  together  after  being  cut  out,  decorated,  and  bent  by  processes  before 
described.  As  before  mentioned,  some  rings  were  plain  bands.  Others 
had  no  seals  attached  separately;  but  jhe  band  was  broadened  and  decorated 
at  some  one  point,  producing  the  same  effect. 

Before  concluding,  a  few  words  concerning  the  origin  of  the  art  of  silver- 
smithing  among  the  Iroquois  may  not  be  out  of  place.  Of  course,  such  a 
discussion  must  necessarily  be  almost  entirely  theoretical.  Taking  the 
brooches  first,  it  seems  possible  that  we  may  look  for  their  ultimate  origin  in 
the  ornaments  of  copper,  mica,  and  other  materials  thought  to  have  been 
sewed  or  tied  upon  garments  as  ornaments  by  many  tribes  of  the  precolonial 
period.  As  Beauchamp  says,  "Apparently  the  brooch  was  an  evolution 
from  the  gorget,  for  some  (early)  ornaments  of  this  kind  were  tied  on,  not 
buckled."  He  mentions  and  figures  such  a  crude  brooch-like  ornament  of 
copper  found  on  an  Onondaga  site  of  1677.  l  It  is  difficult  to  surmise 
how  the  buckle-tongue  fastening  originated,  or,  if  borrowed,  whence  it  came. 


Beauchamp,  Metallic  Ornaments  of  the  New  York  Indians,  p.  77.     Moore  found  brooch- 
rgets  of  copper  in  prehistoric  Al 
the  Black  Warrior  River,  pp.  198,  219). 


,  ,     .       .  - 

like  gorgets  of  copper  in  prehistoric  Alabama  mounds  (Moore,  Certain  Aboriginal  Remains  of 
Black 


1008.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silvenrork.  367 

Perhaps  the  idea  was  in  some  way  derived  from  the  old-fashioned  shoe  or 
belt  buekles  of  the  colonists.  Examining  the  patterns,  the  Masonic  type 
speaks  for  itself,  as  being  clearly  of  European  origin;  but  the  other  forms 
are  not  so  easily  traced.  The  heart-type,  surmounted  by  an  apparent  crown, 
looks  suspiciously  European  also;  but  we  cannot  prove  that  the  heart,  which 
occurs  so  often  in  all  kinds  of  Iroquois  carving  and  beadwork,  is  not  a  pattern 
native  to  the  people.  The  crown-shaped  ornament  above  possibly  represents 
a  feathered  head-dress,  or  sometimes  an  owl's  head. 

As  for  the  star-form,  we  can  find  similar  many-rayed  designs  on  the 
painted  robes  of  the  Plains  Indians.  Squier  l  reports  an  ornament  in  the 
shape  of  a  four-pointed  star,  made  of  copper  and  shell  wrapped  in  thin  beaten 
silver,  found  in  a  prehistoric  mound  at  Mound  City,  O.  It  is  not  even 
necessary  to  suppose  that  the  silver  head-bands  of  the  Iroquois  were  copies 
of  the  royal  crowns  of  England  or  France.  Granted  that  the  Indians  could 
invent  a  star-shaped  brooch  whose  rays  terminate  in  bosses,  they  would 
very  naturally  cut  the  top  of  the  silver  head-band  into  similar  ornamental 
rays.  Still  the  resemblance  to  a  crown  is  at  least  a  remarkable  coincidence. 

In  form  and  especially  detail,  the  ear-ornaments  show  considerable 
originality;  but  in  the  hinged  wire  loops  for  attachment  to  the  ear  we  see 
a  European  invention.  Italian  women  on  the  streets  of  Xew  York  to-day 
wear  ear-rings  fastened  in  the  same  identical  fashion.  The  custom  of 
wearing  metallic  ear-ornaments  is,  however,  of  by  no  means  recent  origin 
in  North  America.  The  so-called  "mound-builders"  wore  spool-shaped 
ear-plugs  of  copper,  often  coated  with  thin  hammered  silver.  Squier  quotes 
an  account  of  the  Virginia  Indians  of  the  sixteenth  century,2  in  which  an 
explorer  reports  that  he  saw  "two  small  pieces  of  silver  grossly  beaten,  hang 
ing  from  the  ears  of  a  \Viroance."  Turning  to  the  decoration,  we  see  that 
one  ear-ring  pattern,  the  spread  eagle  with  scroll  and  shield,  is  plainly 
derived  from  that  stamped  on  United  States  coins;  yet  I  have  seen  hawk 
and  other  bird  patterns  that  were  not  necessarily  borrowed.  The  finger- 
ring  is  probably  a  relic  of  Jesuit  influence,  as  are  the  silver  crosses  occasion 
ally  seen.  Arm-bands  are  probably  of  ancient  origin,  at  least  in  idea. 

As  for  the  art  as  a  whole,  its  origin  is  not  made  clearer  by  what  can 
be  learned  from  observations  on  different  ornaments  themselves  and  their 
possible  beginnings.  We  know  that  several  prehistoric  Indian  peoples  in 
the  eastern  part  of  North  America  were  experts  at  hammering  copper, 
embossing,  engraving,  and  excising  the  metal  much  as  the  Iroquois  do  silver; 
and  it  is  reported  that  they  sometimes  used  silver  also.  Some  of  their  prod 
ucts  will  bear  favorable  comparison  with  the  best  works  of  Iroquois  silver- 


1  Squier,  Antiquities  of  the  State  of  New  York,  p.  291. 

2  Heriots  Voyages,  1586,  in  Pinkerton,  Vol.  XII,  p.  574. 


368  Anthropological  Papers  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.       [Vol.  Ir 

smiths,  with  all  the  hitter's  modern  tools.  There  are  even  spread-eagle 
and  brooch-like  patterns  found  on  copper  plates  in  the  mounds  1  in  such 
widely  separated  localities  as  Georgia  and  Illinois.  Thomas,  however, 
thinks  these  copper  ornaments  were  probably  made  with  European  tools 
or  by  Europeans,  simply  on  the  ground  that  they  are  too  good  to  be  the 
work  of  a  stone-age  people.  But  other  authorities,  such  as  Putnam  and 
Saville,  disagree  with  him;  and  the  inimitable  Gushing2  clinched  the 
matter  by  reproducing  the  ornaments,  with  all  their  embossing  and  open 
work,  from  a  nugget  of  copper  with  stone  and  bone  implements  only.  The 
simple  and  ingenious  methods  by  which  these  results  were  obtained  he 
learned  from  the  Zufii  Indians. 

I  think  I  have  made  it  clear  that  it  is,  then,  not  necessary  to  look  outside 
of  America  for  the  mother  of  the  Iroquois  art  of  silversmithing.  It  is  also 
plain  that  European  influence  was  very  powerful  both  at  its  birth  and  during 
its  development.  In  fact,  if  we  call  the  ancient  American  hammering  of 
metal  the  mother  of  this  art,  we  can  say  that  its  father  came  from  across  the 
ocean.  Nevertheless,  it  has  acquired  a  character  all  its  own,  and  bears  the 
impress,  not  only  of  the  adaptability  of  the  Iroquois,  but  of  his  originality. 
In  this  light  we  may  consider  it  worthy  of  study. 

In  conclusion,  a  partial  list  suggesting  the  wide  distribution  of  silver 
ornaments  among  the  Indians  may  prove  of  interest.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  at  completeness,  the  data  being  only  such  as  have  come  to  my  notice. 
To  my  personal  knowledge,  silver  ornaments  have  been  made  by  the  fol 
lowing  tribes:  Oneida,  Onondaga,  Cayuga,  Seneca, '  Delaware,  eastern 
Ojibwa,  Seminole  of  Florida,  Ghotaw  of  Mississippi,  and  Koasati  of  Louisi 
ana.  The  silversmith's  art  of  the  Navajo  and  some  tribes  of  the  northwest 
coast  is,  of  course,  well  known.  Among  the  other  tribes  from  whom  silver 
ornaments  have  been  reported  are  the  Tuscarora,  Mohawk,  Cherokee,  Mo- 
hegan,  Penobscot,  Micmac,  Sac  and  Fox,  Dakota,  Pawnee,  Osage,  Acoma, 
Apache,  Yuchi,  Creek  (other  than  Koasati),  and  Chitimacha.3  It  is  not 
certain  whether  all  of  these  tribes  manufacture  such  articles,  but  the  proba 
bilities  are  that  man}'  of  them  do  so.  Most  tribes  addicted  to  silver  orna 
ments  use  some  of  white  man's  make,  and  some  obtained  from  other  tribes 
in  addition  to  those  of  home  manufacture. 

Further  investigation  of  the  distribution  and  character  of  Indian  silver- 
smithing  might  lead  to  interesting  results  regarding  the  origin  and  dissemi 
nation  of  that  art.  I  suspect  that  the  southeast  might  furnish  the  connecting 


1  Thomas,  Mound  Explorations  (12th  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology),  Plate 
XVII,  and  Fig.   192. 

2  dishing,  Primitive  Copper  Working  (American  Anthropologist,  January,  1894). 

3  The  Museum  collections  contain  silver  ornaments  from  the  Dakota    Pawnee,  Fox,  Oji 
bwa,  and  Delaware  Indians  in  addition  to  those  of  Iroquois  origin.     For  Dakota  designs  on 
silver,  see  this  publication,  Vol.  I,  Part  II,  pp.  44,  52. 


1908.]  Harrington,  Iroquois  Silverwork.  369 

link  between  the  metal-working  of  historic  and  prehistoric  times;  for  many 
of  the  silver  brooches  and  pendants  of  the  Seminole  and  other  Muskhogean 
peoples  present  a  strong  similarity  to  the  prehistoric  ornaments  of  copper 
found  by  Moore  in  the  mounds  of  the  region  formerly  their  home. 


ANTHROP.  PAP.  A.   M.   N.   H. 


VOL.  I,   PLATE  XXIII. 


19 


20 


21 


23 


24 


25 


26 


BROOCHES,  RINGS  AND  EAR-RINGS. 


AXTHROP.  PAP.   A.   M.   N.   H. 


VOL.  I,  PLATE  XXV  I. 


SILVERSMITH'S  TOOLS. 


ANTHROP.   PAP.   A.   M.   N.   H. 


VOL.   I,   PLATE  XXVII. 


2  456 


I  ?4 


ADDITIONAL  FORMS  FROM  THK  MOXTGOMKKY  COUNTY   HISTORICAL 
SOCIETY  COLLECTION. 


AXTHROP.   PAP.  A.  M.  N.   H. 


VOL.  I,  PLATE  XXVIII. 


HAMMERING  OUT  A  COIN. 


AXTHROP.   PAP.   A.   M.   N.   H. 


VOL.  I,  PLATE  XXIX. 


EMBOSSING. 


14  DAY  USE 

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